Afghanistan war

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Taliban Infiltrator Kills 10 at Afghan NATO Base

Five NATO troops and five others are dead in suicide bombing

(Newser) - The Taliban seems to have settled on a deadly new strategy: A suicide bomber who infiltrated the military killed five NATO troops today, four Afghan soldiers, and an interpreter, reports the AP . It's not clear yet if any of the NATO victims were Americans. The bomber, apparently a recruit...

2 US Troops Killed in Drone Friendly Fire

Military probing Afghanistan deaths

(Newser) - Two American servicemen were killed in Afghanistan last week in what is believed to be the first case of friendly fire deaths involving a Predator drone. The pair were killed by a Hellfire missile after Marines under fire called in a strike, military officials tell NBC. The Marines were viewing...

6 US Soldiers Killed Near Pakistan Border

Kunar province among Afghanistan's most violent

(Newser) - Six US soldiers were killed during an attack on an insurgent hideout near Afghanistan’s border with Pakistan, the Washington Post reports. The deaths that resulted from the helicopter-driven assault are the latest reminder of the US struggle in the isolated Kunar province. The US has lately shifted its attention...

Inside the Afghan Kill Team's Four-Month Killing Spree
Inside the Afghan Kill Team's Four-Month Killing Spree
rolling stone
Mar 28, 2011 7:49 AM CDT

Inside the Afghan Kill Team's Four-Month Killing Spree

Officers long ignored suspicious signs, writes Mark Boal for 'Rolling Stone'

(Newser) - How did the US Army's self-proclaimed " kill team " get away with murdering unarmed Afghan civilians for so long, with little to no intervention by officers? That's the question Hurt Locker screenwriter Mark Boal addresses in a lengthy Rolling Stone article on the murders and the cover-ups, in which...

NATO Strike Kills 7 Afghan Civilians, Including 3 Kids
 NATO Strike Kills 3 Afghan Kids 
Mar 26, 2011 4:59 PM CDT

NATO Strike Kills 3 Afghan Kids

7 dead in total; helicopter was trying to hit Taliban leaders on the road

(Newser) - Seven civilians were killed when a NATO helicopter fired on two vehicles believed to be carrying Taliban fighters, say Afghan officials. The international alliance said it was investigating the strike, which occurred yesterday in Helmand province. Two women and three children were among the victims, who were traveling in a...

Soldier Who Killed Afghans for Sport Gets 24 Years

Jeremy Morlock pleads guilty to 'Kill Team' murders

(Newser) - A soldier who confessed to killing unarmed Afghan civilians for sport has been sentenced to 24 years after entering a guilty plea. Jeremy Morlock, of Wasilla, Alaska, has agreed to testify against four other soldiers involved in the case that's being called the Afghan Abu Ghraib , reports the New York ...

Rogue Afghan Contractor Killed 2 US Soldiers

He is accused of opening fire as they were cleaning their guns

(Newser) - Afghan contractor Shir Ahmad was hired to provide security at an Afghanistan military base, but on Saturday—just 10 days after he was hired—he instead walked up to a group of soldiers and opened fire with an AK-47, killing two. Cpl. Donald Mickler Jr of Ohio, 29, and Pfc....

Suicide Rate of Female Soldiers Triples in War Zones

But rate for male soldiers still higher

(Newser) - Female soldiers are three times more likely to commit suicide once they are deployed to a war zone, according to a major Army study. The 5-year study, conducted by the National Institute of Mental Health, found that suicide rates rose from 5 to 15 out of 100,000 among female...

Petraeus: My Son Served in Afghanistan

Deployment was kept 'very quiet'

(Newser) - In the midst of an emotional exchange today on Capitol Hill, David Petraeus revealed that his son had recently served a combat tour in Afghanistan, "which thankfully we were able to keep very quiet," the AP reports. Republican Rep. Walter Jones had pressed Petraeus to "be honest"...

Americans' Confidence in Government Hits New Low

Two-thirds think the Afghanistan war isn't worth fighting

(Newser) - The economy, rising gas prices, and the Afghan war have Americans in a foul mood about their government, according to a new poll from ABC and the Washington Post . Some highlights:
  • Only 26% are optimistic about "our system of government and how well it works," the lowest since
...

NATO Accidentally Kills Karzai Relative

Afghan president again calls for more care in avoiding civilian casualties

(Newser) - NATO forces accidentally shot and killed a member of the Karzai family during a botched night raid, Ahmed Wali Karzai told reporters today. He described the victim only as "our father's cousin," the Telegraph reports. "The forces conducted an operation, he was at his home, he came...

Petraeus Apologizes for Deaths of Afghan Boys

Nine were killed by NATO helicopter while gathering firewood

(Newser) - Gen. Petraeus has quickly apologized for one of the worst cases of a mistaken NATO strike: A coalition helicopter fired on a group of boys collecting firewood, killing nine. "We are deeply sorry for this tragedy and apologize to the members of the Afghan government, the people of Afghanistan...

9 Children Killed in US Attack: Karzai

Officials say they were gathering firewood on a mountainside

(Newser) - A US artillery attack killed nine children and injured a tenth yesterday in Kunar province, Afghan officials declared today. The kids, ages 8 to 14, were reportedly out gathering firewood when rocket fire hit a nearby outpost. The base’s defenders say they responded with “indirect and aerial fire,...

'Tens of Billions' Wasted on War Contractors: Report

'Criminal behavior and blatant corruption' a bad combo with 'ill-conceived projects'

(Newser) - The US has misspent “tens of billions of dollars” on contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan—at minimum—according to a new report from a bipartisan commission set up to scrutinize the issue. The report bemoaned problems like “ill-conceived projects,” “poor planning and oversight by the US...

Gates to Army: No More Wars Like Iraq

US must dial down 'controversial large-scale military intervention'

(Newser) - Will the US ever undertake another war like the ones in Iraq and Afghanistan? Not if Defense Secretary Robert Gates has his way. “In my opinion, any future defense secretary who advises the president to again send a big American land army into Asia or into the Middle East...

US Withdraws from Once-Key Afghan Valley

Some troops see wasted effort in Pech Valley

(Newser) - The US is withdrawing from the Pech Valley, the mountainous region of eastern Afghanistan that for years was central to its strategy—and the site of much bloodshed. The move is a controversial one, notes the New York Times : 103 US troops were killed there, and many more wounded, leading...

Pentagon Investigates Psy-Ops Allegations

Two senators say it didn't work on them

(Newser) - The Pentagon has begun investigating claims that one of its generals used psychological trickery to try to convince US lawmakers to support the Afghan war effort. (Read the earlier summary of the Rolling Stone expose here .) "The facts will take them where they lead," said a Pentagon...

Army Ordered Psych Team to Manipulate Senators
Army Ordered Psych Team
to Manipulate Senators
rolling stone expose
Feb 24, 2011 7:25 AM CST

Army Ordered Psych Team to Manipulate Senators

Sought to gain war support through propaganda techniques: Rolling Stone

(Newser) - In an illegal effort to build support for the war, a top US general in Afghanistan ordered troops trained in "psychological operations" to manipulate visiting lawmakers, reports Michael Hastings for Rolling Stone . Over a four-month period last year, Gen. William Caldwell reportedly pushed the psy-ops team to focus their...

Petraeus Suggests Afghans Burned Own Children

Participants at a recent meeting say comments offended Karzai

(Newser) - US officials were already skeptical of claims that a military operation last week killed 65 Afghan civilians , but now Gen. David Petraeus has apparently taken things a step further: During a Sunday meeting with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, Petraeus reportedly suggested Afghans burned their own children in an effort to...

Taliban's Middle Managers 'Tired of Fighting'

New US raid strategy may be taking its toll

(Newser) - Many mid-level Taliban commanders are increasingly unhappy at the prospect of returning to battlefield in Afghanistan, putting them at odds with the top-level commanders in Pakistan, one commander tells the New York Times. “I have talked to some commanders, and they are reluctant to fight,” he says. “...

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